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Outline for Heaven & Hell
Morin Productions, the U.S. distributor for Outline Audio Products, recently took a musical walk through the seven deadly sins when its Butterfly line array was used at the Boston Conservatory’s “Heaven & Hell” production. The show, an adaptation of Joe Jackson’s 1997 concept album of the same name, gives a modern slant on sin, including a sloth enjoying a super-sized soda in front of a mega TV screen. The production featured an uncluttered set and featured the talents of both Conservatory students and audio professionals.
“I have 97 separate mute scenes for the 75 minute show,” said Heaven & Hell FOH guru Nick Joyce, a veteran live sound engineer who mixed the show on a Crest X8 provided by Marathon Sound from Salem, NH. “The production seems simple to theatre-goers, but it’s a complex audio production with rapid-fire lines and singing in singles and groups. There are times when I can’t take my eyes off the script, mixing by total instinct.”
Joyce works several shows at the Conservatory every year, so when the time came to address the sound system design for “Heaven & Hell” in the Conservatory’s 380-seat theatre, he called Paul Carelli of Morin Productions. “Paul and I have known each other for a long time - ever since I came to Boston in 1979,” he explained. “I thought the Outline array would be perfect for the show. The producers of the show wanted it to be a loud, high-impact show with big dynamics. They wanted the sound to move through a huge spectrum – from the full band down to a whisper.”
Carelli and Morin Productions provided support by way of two four-box arrays of the Outline C.D.H. 483 Hi-Pack and one Outline Subtech 218 twin 18” subwoofer, all powered by Outline Twin Pulse Series T6.5 amplifiers. In addition, a Micra II SP self-powered loudspeaker and a Micra II passive loudspeaker were used for front fill. The compact but powerful system benefited the crew from the very beginning, with load-in on a busy Boston street and immediately up a steep flight of stairs. Due to limited truss space, the Outline arrays were hung left-right approximately 25 feet apart. “Those were the only rigging points we could get. The boxes don’t seem to mind being so close. I was a little concerned that there would be phasing issues but there weren’t,” said Joyce.
Carelli also gave the extra effort to assist the Conservatory by aligning the arrays using Outline’s proprietary VIP array design software and optimizing the system using SMAART Live 5 to balance out the room. According to Joyce, Carelli’s efforts paid off. “There is a 1dB difference between the first and last rows of the house. That consistency is amazing, considering we hit 95-98 dB at the back row, which is loud for live theatre,” he noted. “I still have tons of headroom.”
The Outline Butterfly line array helped Joyce focus the sound on the seating area and avoid the reflective walls. “We have 25 lavalier microphones in a small space. The cardioid characteristics of the Outline array allow me to get higher SPL without having to EQ for feedback on the lavalier mics. Instead, I can EQ for tone and make the actors sound natural while also having an orchestra that is full and rich. Both elements sit in the mix really well with this rig,” said Joyce. “A conventional speaker system wouldn’t accomplish this level of clarity.”
To assist with clarity, the Outline Subtech 218 subwoofer sitting at stage right receives a mono send from the Crest console, consisting of the cellos and double bass, electric drums, electric bass, one channel of acoustic percussion and the keyboard sub-group. Joyce explained: “This allows me to keep things that aren’t going to use that LF range out of the sub.”
In addition to the 25 lavaliers, Joyce also has five area microphones onstage – three Shure SM98s and two Audio-Technica AT4041. The Shures were hung facing down mid-stage and the ATs clamped to lighting booms stage left and stage right. “There is so little of the show where there are more than two or three people singing at once. There are a few parts in the production where actors sing off-stage, so I need to open all the lavalier microphones then too,” Joyce noted.
System processing was handled by the Outline Genius 26 2x6 processor. Joyce used a Behringer speaker management system to send a stereo LR feed to the processors. “This gave me some additional parametric for the RF without needing to do some radical EQing,” he noted.
Joyce, along with Bill Rauworth, Jennifer Lin and Lachlan Fife, were able to pull off a successful five-day run of the “Heaven & Hell” production in March. Joyce explained that the professional staff and pro audio gear were instrumental in pulling the show together. “I only saw and rehearsed the complete production with the full band and actors twice before we opened,” he said. “I didn’t hear what the band was going to play until the first dress rehearsal. The show is pretty precisely timed, but sometimes my job is done by feel. It’s human beings and live music.”
18th June 2007
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